Process for Development of Concepts
Process for Development of Concepts
Process for Development of Concepts
“Searching for scientific knowledge in nursing is an ongoing dynamic process of continuous identification, development, and validation of relevant concepts” (King, 1975, p. 25). What is a concept? A concept is an organization of reference points. Words are the verbal symbols used to explain events and things in our environment and relationships to past experiences. Northrop (1969) noted: “[C]oncepts fall into different types according to the different sources of their meaning…. A concept is a term to which meaning has been assigned.” Concepts are the categories in a theory.
The concept development and validation process is as follows:
1. Review, analyze, and synthesize research literature related to the concept.
2. From the review, identify the characteristics (attributes) of the concept.
3. From the characteristics, write a conceptual definition.
4. Review literature to select an instrument or develop an instrument.
5. Design a study to measure the characteristics of the concept.
6. Select the population to be sampled.
7. Collect data.
8. Analyze and interpret data.
9. Write results of findings and conclusions.
10. State implications for adding to nursing knowledge.
Concepts that represent phenomena in nursing are structured within a framework and theory to show relationships.
Multiple concepts were identified from my analysis of nursing literature (King, 1981). The concepts that provided substantive knowledge about human beings (self, body image, perception, growth and development, learning, time, and personal space) were placed within the personal system, those related to small groups (interaction, communication, role, transactions, and stress) were placed within the interpersonal system, and those related to large groups that make up a society (decision making, organization, power, status, and authority) were placed within the social system (King, 1995). However, knowledge from all of the concepts is used in nurses’ interactions with individuals and groups within social organizations, such as the family, the educational system, and the political system. Knowledge of these concepts came from my synthesis of research in many disciplines. Concepts, when defined from research literature, give nurses knowledge that can be applied in the concrete world of nursing. The concepts represent basic knowledge that nurses use in their role and functions either in practice, education, or administration. In addition, the concepts provide ideas for research in nursing.
One of my goals was to identify what I call the essence of nursing. That brought me back to the question: What is the nature of human beings? A vicious circle? Not really! Because nurses are first and foremost human beings who give nursing care to other human beings, my philosophy of the nature of human beings has been presented along with assumptions I have made about individuals (King, 1989a). Recognizing that a conceptual system represents structure for a discipline, the next step in the process of knowledge development was to derive one or more theories from this structure.
Lo and behold, a theory of goal attainment was developed (King, 1981, 1992). More recently, others have derived theories from my conceptual system (Frey & Sieloff, 1995).
